Title:

Texas Drug Threat Assessment

Publication Date: October2003

Document ID: 2003-S0387TX-001

Archived on: January 1, 2006.
This document may contain
dated information. It remains available to provide
access to historical materials.

This report is a strategic assessment that addresses the status and
outlook of the drug threat to Texas. Analytical judgment determined the
threat posed by each drug type or category, taking into account the most
current quantitative and qualitative information on availability,
demand, production or cultivation, transportation, and distribution, as
well as the effects of a particular drug on abusers and society as a
whole. While NDIC sought to incorporate the latest available
information, a time lag often exists between collection and publication
of data, particularly demand-related data sets. NDIC anticipates that
this drug threat assessment will be useful to policymakers, law
enforcement personnel, and treatment providers at the federal, state,
and local levels because it draws upon a broad range of information
sources to describe and analyze the drug threat to Texas.

List of Tables

Table 1. Federal
Drug Seizures in Texas and Nationwide Ranking, 2002Table 2. Methamphetamine Seizures Within
150 Miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border, in Kilograms, 1999-2002 Table 3. Cocaine Seizures Within 150
Miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border, in Kilograms, 1999-2002Table 4. Purity and Price of Heroin
Purchased, in Dallas, El Paso, and Houston by DEA, 1995-2001Table 5. Heroin Seizures Within 150
Miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border, in Kilograms, 1999-2002Table 6. Marijuana Seizures Within
150 Miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border, in Pounds, 1999-2002

List of Figures

Figure 1. The eleven land ports
of entry between Texas and Mexico.Figure 2. "Sister cities"
in the United States and Mexico.

List of Charts

Texas is a gateway for a large percentage of the illicit
drugs smuggled to drug markets throughout the United States. Large
quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana are
smuggled into the state from Mexico for distribution within Texas or for
eventual transport to drug markets throughout the nation. Other
dangerous drugs are smuggled into Texas from Mexico as well, primarily
for abuse within the state but also for regional distribution. The
quantity of illicit drugs smuggled into Texas far exceeds consumption
within the state; however, significant quantities of methamphetamine,
cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and other dangerous drugs are abused in
Texas.

Methamphetamine is a significant drug threat to
Texas. High purity, low cost methamphetamine is readily available, and
the drug is widely abused, particularly in rural areas. Methamphetamine
produced in Mexico is the predominant type available. Locally produced
methamphetamine also is available and is becoming more prevalent.
Methamphetamine production in Texas is increasing, as is the number of
methamphetamine laboratories being seized by law enforcement officials.
Caucasian criminal groups and independent Caucasian laboratory operators
produce methamphetamine in Texas. They generally produce ounce
quantities using the Birch reduction method. Methamphetamine also is
produced by Mexican criminal groups and independent producers as well as
outlaw motorcycle gangs. Mexican drug trafficking organizations and
criminal groups control most of the transportation and wholesale
distribution of Mexico-produced methamphetamine. Hispanic street gangs,
prison gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs also distribute wholesale
quantities of the drug. Mexican criminal groups control most of the
retail-level methamphetamine distribution in the state; however,
Caucasian criminal groups as well as street gangs, prison gangs, outlaw
motorcycle gangs, and various other criminal groups and independent
dealers also distribute methamphetamine at the retail level.

Cocaine also is a significant drug threat to
Texas. Powdered cocaine and crack cocaine are readily available and
frequently abused throughout the state; however, crack cocaine is more
readily available in larger metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas,
Houston, and San Antonio. Mexican drug trafficking organizations and
criminal groups dominate the transportation and wholesale distribution
of powdered cocaine. They generally smuggle cocaine from Mexico into
Texas through and between ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border,
particularly in South Texas. African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, and
Mexican criminal groups; local independent dealers; outlaw motorcycle
gangs; street gangs such as Black Disciples, Bloods, Crips, and Latin
Kings; and prison gangs including Barrio Azteca, Hermanos de Pistoleros
Latinos, Mexikanemi, Raza Unida, and Texas Syndicate distribute powdered
cocaine at the retail level in Texas. Retail quantities of crack cocaine
are distributed by Mexican and other Hispanic criminal groups, Caucasian
and African American criminal groups, local independent dealers, street
gangs, and prison gangs.

Heroin poses a considerable threat to Texas.
Mexican black tar heroin and Mexican brown powdered heroin are the
predominant types available throughout the state; however, South
American, Southeast Asian, and Southwest Asian heroin are available to
varying extents. Mexican drug trafficking organizations and criminal
groups control the transportation and wholesale distribution of Mexican
black tar and brown powdered heroin. Colombian drug trafficking
organizations and criminal groups dominate the transportation and
wholesale distribution of South American heroin, while Nigerian and
other West African groups control the transportation and distribution of
Southeast Asian and Southwest Asian heroin. Mexican criminal groups
dominate retail-level heroin distribution in the state. However, African
American, Caucasian, and other Hispanic criminal groups, local
independent dealers, prison gangs, and street gangs also distribute
heroin at the retail level.

Marijuana is a significant drug threat to Texas.
Marijuana produced in Mexico is the predominant type available
throughout the state. Locally produced marijuana is also available,
although to a lesser extent. Cannabis cultivation occurs within the
state, primarily in the eastern and northern regions and generally is
controlled by Caucasian criminal groups and independent dealers. Mexican
drug trafficking organizations and criminal groups dominate the
smuggling of marijuana into Texas; they also dominate the wholesale
distribution of the drug. Caucasian, Colombian, and Jamaican criminal
groups; local independent dealers; prison gangs; street gangs; and
outlaw motorcycle gangs also distribute marijuana at the wholesale
level. Caucasian, African American, Jamaican, and Hispanic criminal
groups; local independent dealers; prison gangs; and street gangs are
the primary retail-level distributors of marijuana in the state.

Other dangerous drugs (ODDs) include the club
drugs MDMA, GHB and its analogs, ketamine, LSD, and Rohypnol; the
hallucinogen PCP; and diverted pharmaceuticals. MDMA is readily
available and abused in Texas and poses a considerable drug threat to
the state. Other ODDs present varying threats to Texas. Various criminal
groups transport club drugs into Texas via private vehicles, commercial
aircraft, couriers on foot (crossing the U.S.-Mexico border), and
package delivery services. Club drugs primarily are sold and abused by
middle-class, suburban teenagers and young adults at raves and
nightclubs and on college campuses. PCP generally is distributed by
local independent dealers throughout the state. Pharmaceuticals such as
oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid),
alprazolam (Xanax), and cough syrup with codeine typically are diverted
through a variety of techniques including pharmacy diversion,
"doctor shopping," and improper prescribing practices by
physicians.